The Tenth Jinchuriki
by AgeofAdvent
Summary: AU Universe where Ten Bijuu Exist, not merely Nine, in which places like the less explored West and the familiar landscape of the Ninja Villages both play a role.
1. Chapter 1

The Tenth Jinchuuriki

This is an AU fic revolving around a character of my own design. If you want more, please review.

**Long before all recorded history, there were the Ten, born of He who was born of Her. The Nine were born upon the soil of the young Earth. The One remained in the sky, ever to watch over the world, should it ever come to harm. Granted great wings, each beat would inspire the heavens to weep and roar. The One's eye, said have been taken from the sun itself, punished all who dared gaze within it and the Sun God's black flames spewed forth in the One's rage. The One was to guard over all creation, as was He who was his father's wish. For many years, this was the way until one by one, the Nine succumbed to all humankind. Their envy and their fear gave birth to hatred… And it was thus that mighty Uuria, the One born to be of the sky, succumbed. Though mighty Uuria fought with might, he was locked away, sealed by those who saw the world in the same eyes as he. And so, mighty Uuria became the myth, the scion of children's fears. And yet, his soft voice can still be heard, whispering the name of the one which imprisoned him. **_**Uchiha.**_

The sun beat down on Ulquorr's back as he tilled the soil he was charged with looking over. Just thirteen and new to the Inakazi Clan, it was his responsibility to work the arid earth, a task relished by none of the Clan's members. It didn't help that the heat seemed to be trapped within his bushy, black hair.

Ulquorr paused to rest on his tools, wiping the sweat off his brow as he looked up at the bright blue sky. In the West, the sky was renowned for its brilliant hue and harsh landscape. To endure the desert, the people of the West were harsh and stubborn, much like the land they worked.

"Hey, you! Stop slacking off!" A local guard called down to Ulquorr, brandishing a well-worn whip. Ulquorr eyed it warily, and continued working the ground. He supposed he should count himself luckily, really. It wasn't often that a clan would take in an outsider, especially one as old as Ulquorr was. He had joined when he was eight, remarkably having crossed the Fire Country all by himself. The Inakazi fed and raised him until he as old enough to work, something he was called to do often.

At times, the Inazaki would ask him where he came from, why he felt the need to travel so far. His features were not like the tan, sometimes brown skin of the Inakazi. However much he wanted to tell them, however, he never could give them an answer. He didn't know himself. This, combined with his status as an Outsider, made him out to be the outcast of the small family of warrior nomads.

Soon, the sun set on the horizon, giving the Inakazi grounds a red glow. People were just now finishing their assigned chores, making their way to their respective tents.

"Think that's good?" Ulquorr gave the ground an appreciative glance.

"It's not perfect," the guard from before said, "But I guess it'll do. Get some sleep. I want to see you here again before the sun wakes up."

"Yes sir," Ulquorr said, happy to be relieved from his job. The night was now in full effect, the only illuminating source of light coming from the pale moon and the bright stars that twinkled behind it. Now would be the time that most Underaged like Ulquorr would be making their sojourn back to their families. Those fifteen years of age, who had already taken a husband or a wife (The Inakazi Clan married early to boost their numbers) were allowed to roam the odd assortments of tents and torches at twilight time.

Ulquorr was the exception. Having never really regarded this rule with the greatest respect, he had long since found a hiding place, a crack in a nearby rock nestled high above the tents below. The path to the crack was rocky and possibly dangerous, but Ulquorr didn't care. The price of freedom was too high to give up for a little extra safety.

Ulquorr rested his back against the side of the crevice contentedly, pulling out a pie he had snatched from Old Martha's fruit stand. Ulquorr then took out a worn spy glass, which he used to- not surprisingly- spy on select members of his clan.

Pointing his glass toward the section of tents closest to him, he could see Old Martha shouting at a harassed looking guard, occasionally pointing at the fruit stand, where a freshly made pie once stood. Shrugging away the slight feeling of guilt that appeared, he pointed his glass towards the farther section of tents, where a certain someone usual was out before bowing to the curfew.

Ulquorr quickly found her, a pale skinned girl with blond hair named Anna. Anna was a bit of a constant source of fascination for Ulquorr, being the only other person with light colored skin in the clan. It didn't hurt that she happened to be extremely pretty. Ulquorr indulged in his behavior of snooping for a little while longer before packing up, carefully wrapping up the section of the pie he did not eat.

Ulquorr hopped down from his hole, careful not to be seen, bobbing in and out of the way of guards. When he was certain he hadn't been caught, he made his way to a rather large tent adorned with two sprigs of Sageweed, a locally grown flower with healing properties.

"I'm home!" Ulquorr called out to his guardian and caretaker, Rasha.

Rasha was the clan's old medicine woman. Though barred from ever marrying and having children, she took him in when no one else would, nursing his wounds until he was well enough to be claimed under her guardianship.

"Welcome home, Ul," Rasha said, stroking his thick hair, despite Ulquorr's attempts to dissuade her of this. "What's that behind your back?"

"Oh yeah," Ulquorr said. "I got you a pie! Well, half of one anyway."

Rasha shook her head, but smiled nevertheless. "You know Martha won't be happy with you."

"What she won't know won't hurt me," Ulquorr grinned, pulling the curtains in frot of his side of the room and changing into his night clothes. "So, did you have any interesting cases today?"

"Let me see," Rasha thought aloud for a moment. "Well, Roshi did have a rather interesting snakebite today. And Sasha had two fish hooks stuck in her left thumb."

"Two fishhooks?" Ulquorr stepped outside to grab a pot of tea that had been boiling.

"Yes," Rasha said despairingly. "She tried to ge the first one out with yet another fishhook. Needless to say, she was not successful."

"Makes for an interesting story at least," Ulquorr said. "All I ever get to do is work the fields."

"Say," Rasha said, "would you care to learn the art of medicinal chakra from me? It would be a fair bit more interesting than field work, I dare say."

"I'm honored," Ulquorr said. "But I don't think I could handle never having a wife.

"She's quite pretty, that Anna, isn't she?" Rasha said offhandedly.

"What? She's not- I mean she is- but that's not the point- how?"

Rasha chuckled heartily. "I may be an old crone now, but I, too, was young once. You'd best make your move soon. She'll have plenty of suitors before she's of age."

"I know," Ulquorr said. "But how do I even say something to her? She's beautiful and I-"

"Now now, young man," Rasha interrupted. "You're quite the dashing fellow yourself. Just talk to her. Anything. She's quite a nice girl once you get to know her."

"I suppose," Ulquorr said.

"Well then," Rasha said. "I suppose it's time for the nightly checkup."

Ulquorr groaned. "I was hoping you had forgotten about that."

Rasha gave her adopted grandson a stern look. "You need to look after yourself you know. The clan doesn't need another fool with a broken back."

"It's not even a back problem though," Ulquorr protested. "The problem's with my chakra."

It was true. Whereas others his age were already walking on trees, Ulquorr chakra control was, at best, terrible.

"Lay down," Rasha ordered. "We'll see if we can get to the bottom of this today."

"If you say so," Ulquorr said, taking a seat. Rasha pulled up his shirt, toucing his stomach with a bright green fist glowing of chakra.

As always, Ulquorr bolted upright, gagging in pain. A tight coil in his core burned; it was as if the touch had lit it on fire.

"Hmm," Rasha said contemplatively. "Something's messing with your chakra flow. Right there. If I could only remove it…"

"You mean there's a chance you can fix my chakra?" Ulquorr sat up, the pain forgotten.

"I make no promises," Rasha warned. "But yes. I think I may be able to help."

"Yes!" Ulquorr cheered. "Thank you!"

"No promises," Rasha warned him. "The best thing to do now is to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Soon, the two were lost to sleep, only to be woken up hours later when the first rays of dawn broke through a hole in the tent.

"Ungh…" Ulquorr groaned, blinking from the unexpected light. "Crap! The sun's up. I'm late!"

Rasha shook her head wearily, bidding him a good day as he sprinted out to the fields.

"I've been expecting you," a guard by the name of Akirr spoke as he caught sight of Ulquorr. "You're late."

"I know," Ulquorr said, panting. "I'm sorry."

"Well," Akirr said conversationally, "such things can't be helped sometimes, can they? Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen anyone around last night, would you? Possibly carrying a large pie, perhaps?"

"Me? I don't know, Akirr. I was in my tent by nightfall. Curfew and all."

Akirr tossed Ulquorr a shovel and two very large packs of seeds. "Liar. I was there getting a rash treated. You weren't in your tent."

Ulquorr gulped, then eyed Akirr suspiciously. "I don't see any rash…"

"Never you mind," the guard said, his face quickly turning red. "It's none of your business where it is."

Ulquorr snickered, earning him yet another pack of seeds.

"Three packs? Come on, Akirr. I'll be here all day."

"Good," Akirr said. "Maybe you can work off that pie you stole. Old Martha seemed to think I stole it you know."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ulquorr said, not sorry at all. "But I already have sores from last day's work."

"Tough." Akirr took out a cigarette, lighting it.

"I thought Yushina didn't like you smoking," Ulquorr said, mentioning the young guard's wife.

"Who's going to tell? You?" Akirr laughed. "You're so low in status, I'd be surprised if a grasshopper stopped to listen to you."

Ulquorr said nothing, choosing instead to attack the earth, imagining the soil was Akirr's face.

"Good," Akirr said approvingly, unknowing of Ulquorr's less polite thoughts. "At this rate you might finish before sundown."

Ulquorr planted seed after seed, wondering how his clan managed to find, trade, or barter this many. He thought for sure a good portion of the world's seed population was being buried in the Inakazi fields.

"That's good," Akirr called down once Ulquorr had planted the third and last of his packs of seeds. "You even managed to do it before dawn. I'm impressed."

"Spare me," Ulquorr grumbled, now in a paerticularly sore mood after having worked all day without so much as a break. "At least I get to go home now."

"That reminds me," Akirr said lecherously, "You'll never guess what I get to do with my lovely wife tonight."

"Again," Ulquorr said exasperatedly. "Spare me the thought of you fornicating. The world can barely tolerate one Akirr, let alone a family of them."

"You're just jealous," Akirr said. "Who knows? Maybe someday you'll have a family. If you're lucky, Outsider."

Ulquorr ignored the taunt, and wearily made his way to his tent, where he plopped down on his bed.

"Rough day?" Rasha asked.

Ulquorr just grunted in response.

"Well," Rasha said, "If it makes you feel any better, Anna will be coming by soon. Quite a bit actually. She's agreed to learn medicinal chakra."

"What!" Ulquorr sat up, rubbing his face. "Does that mean she's going to be the next Medicine Woman?"

"Who knows?" Rasha said. "Maybe if she met a dark haired stranger she'd change her mind.

"Ugh." Ulquorr laid back down. Was he really that transparent?


	2. Chapter 2

The Tenth Jinchuriki Chapter Two

Author's Note: Thanks YouAreAwesome! Your support is appreciated. Please review if you want to see more of this story, people!

The clouds above drifted past, giving their restless watcher a drifting sense of peace. Ulquorr lay down in a field of rough grass, idly tearing at the stalks around him. It was a rare day off from working, in which he was to train later. Combat training was always preceded by a morning of chore free freedom in order to prepare those undergoing training for the grueling work they would undergo later. Ulquorr always relished those days which he could vent his anger on the stone dummies constructed or, better yet, their trainers, who could fight back.

This morning had an additional source of anxiety and frustration. While he was happy- ecstatic even- that Anna would be training with Rasha, as it meant seeing her more often, there was the constant worry that she would succeed Rasha as the Medicine Woman, effectively cutting off any possibility of a relationship with the girl he liked.

Ulquorr watched the sky a few minutes longer, growing even more restless with each passing cloud. Eventually, he decided that his normal method of relaxation was, if anything, counterproductive and made his way to a nearby stone pillar. Readying his chakra on his feet, he ran up to it, kicking the flat, rocky surface hard. Far from climbing it, however, he vaulted himself backwards, landing on his back with a hard "thump."

_**Hehehe. **_

Ulquorr looked up warily to see the source of the laughter, but saw no one nearby. It was too deep to be human anyway, Ulquorr reasoned. No sign of a recent summoning could be seen, however. No puff of smoke nor crack as the summon appeared. _Strange_, Ulquorr thought, dismissing it as his imagination. Such things were not uncommon for him, to hear a voice that no one else could. He just hoped he wasn't going crazy.

Ulquorr looked up at the position of the sun in the sky, deciding that it was time to make his way to the training grounds.

The trip took longer than expected, the sun already halfway in the sky by the time he reached the flat plains adorned with training dummies and stern instructors.

"There you are!" Mara, one of Ulquorr's more frequented instructors, greeted him. "I was wondering if you'd show up."

"It's not like me to miss combat training," Ulquorr said. "So what are we doing today?"

"Well," Mara said, "You are nearing that special age of manhood. Only two years from fifteen, you should learn how to protect the clan as well as anyone you should take to be your wife. As such, I have decided that you should learn one of the forbidden techniques. It will be grueling," Mara said. "But," she then said with a wink, "No girl would be able to resist you if you manage to pull it off."

"Alright," Ulquorr said. "I'm listening."

"Good," Mara said. "You'll need to be paying complete attention to me if you are to survive the training."

"Survive? Aren't you being a little bit overdramatic?"

"Nope," Mara said. "People have died learning this. Count yourself lucky that, though your ninjutsu is worthless, your taijutsu has always been spectacular."

"Hey!" Ulqyuorr protested at the jab concerning his ineptitude at anything related to jutsu. "I'm getting better."

"There's more to the ninja world than fireballs and bullets of water," Mara said. "Even the most proficient at chakra can fall to a practiced taijutsu expert."

"Who doesn't want to launch streams of fire against their opponent," Ulquorr argued as they neared a clearing in the sand. "And bullets of water would be amazing!"

Mara gave him a look. "Do you want to learn this technique or not?"

"I do," Ulquorr said. "I'm just not giving up on ninjutsu."

"Give it up," Mara said bluntly. "You're no good. Not now at least. You have shown proficiency in the Way of the Dragon, the taijutsu branch I have taught you, but your chakra control is atrocious. Face it, kid. You've a better chance at taijutsu than chasing a bunch of techniques you could never master."

"If you say so." Ulquorr looked down, crestfallen, but soon perked up at the prospect of learning the forbidden technique.

"That's it. Now take the Serpent's Dance stance."

Ulquorr quickly positioned his arms apart, legs shoulder level, making his core balanced and fluid. "What now?"

"We warm up." Mara launched at Ulquorr with a flurry of blows, which Ulquorr either parried or dodged, sometimes even striking back with all the force he had been holding back. This was the style of the Dragon, the taijutsu stance he had been taught since Mara learned he was skilled in it.

Mara kicked underneath Ulquorr's feet, knocking him to the ground, but Ulquorr responded by quickly jumping up, kicking dust around him for cover. Using the cloud of sand and debris, he launched forward, but Mara side stepped, catching him in the stomach, kicking him into a stone pillar fifteen feet away. Ulquorr winced, but quickly recovered, tightening his chakra in his center, then unraveling it in an explosive dash, using the speed to make a punch at Mara.

Mara caught the fist, sending Ulquorr into a nearby sand dune. "Good," she said. "But you can do better."

"Very well." Ulquorr took a second to collect himself, then swiftly roundhouse kicked Mara, who was forced to block it with a defensive stance of her own. Ulquorr, taking advantage of the momentary shift in the tide of the battle, gave a punch to Mara's left side, following by flipping her on her side with his other arm. Mara rolled out of harm's way, swiping the ground beneath Ulquorr's feet, much like the move he used earlier, kicking up dust.

Ulquorr stared at Mara's silhouette in the cloud of debris, waiting for the inevitable series of martial blows. It came quickly, with an unprecedented level of chakra emanating from Mara's body. Even the dust cloud cleared its way for her path. Her hair stood on end, blue chakra pouring from her pressure points.

Ulquorr didn't stand a chance. In moments, he was flung twenty feet high, dropping to the ground with an unceremonious crash.

"Ow…" Ulquorr lay down, motionless.

"Oh come on," Mara said. "If I really wanted to hurt you I would have flung you fifty feet higher."

"Still hurt," Ulquorr bantered. "Just what was that?"

"What was what?"

"That technique. It was like your chakra system was being inverted. You movements, they were so much faster. Just what was that?"

"That," Mara said, "Was the First Gate of Opening. It's also what I'll be teaching you."

"The First Gate? Are there others?"

"There are eight in total," Mara said as Ulquorr picked himself up. "For now we'll just be focusing on the most basic of them; that's dangerous enough."

"Interesting." Ulquorr said. "So how do we go about it?"

"For now," Mara said, "You study the chakra systems in the human body. You are friendly with Rasha, yes? Perhaps she can help." Mara tossed Ulquorr a scroll. "Give this to Mara. She'll know what to do."

"Got it." Ulquorr stuffed the scroll in a pocket of his desert cloak, black, billowy thing that kept him cool and warm, deflecting the wind when necessary.

"Excellent," Mara said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to report to the Khan."

Ulquorr nodded, making a respectful gesture at the mention of their clan's leader, Khan Geris Grandhelm. Mara quickly copied the movement, and tossed Ulquorr a set of weights. They cracked the ground when they landed, making Ulquorr glad he had opted not to catch them.

"What are these for?"

"They're weights," Mara said. "You'll need to improve your stamina if you are to get even close to opening a Gate."

"Fair enough." Ulquorr put them on with difficulty, cursing as he had to drag his feet forward. "What's in these things?"

"A very dense metal," Mara responded. "Condensed with chakra. Don't take them off for anything- not even bathing."

Ulquorr groaned, but saluted his mentor anyway as they parted ways. After dragging his feet to Rasha's tent, he pulled it open. "I'm home!"

"Oh hello!" A different voice than that of Rasha's greeted him. Ulquorr's stomach flipped as soon as he realized it was Anna's. "You must be Ulquorr. Rasha's told me so much about you."

"Er, yes." Ulquorr said. "Him. That's me, yes."

"Ulquorr?" Rasha's voice made its way across the tent as she pulled back her section of the dividing curtains. "Oh good, you're back."

"Mara told me to give you this." Ulquorr handed Rasha the scroll, careful not to look awkward or stupid in front of Anna. The last thing she needed to know was that he occasionally tripped over the rocks inside the tent. That would be disastrous.

"I see." Rasha closed the scroll. "That certainly is dangerous. I hope she knows what she's doing." Rasha set the scroll on a nearby table. "So you need to learn the pathways of chakra in the human body? How convenient. Anna has yet to learn that as well. You two can study together."

"Really? I mean, yes. Whatever you say, Rasha."

"Now sit down next to Anna," Rasha instructed. "I'll be back soon with some materials." With that, she disappeared beyong her sie of the curtains once more.

"Your mentor is amazing," Anna said admiringly. "She knows things about chakra that I thought were never even possible!"

"She's pretty great," Ulquorr agreed. "She can stitch anyone up. She's pretty nice, too."

"Is she?" Anna looked a bit surprised, then shook her hands embarrassedly. "I mean I'm sure she is! She's just rather strict with me is all…"

"You get used to it," Ulquorr promised.

"You'd better," Rasha said, returning with a smile. "Otherwise this is going to be a very short apprenticeship."

"Yes Sensei," Anna said immediately. Ulquorr found this highly amusing.

"As for you," Rasha said, addressing Ulquorr. "You had better address me with the same respect. At least as long as I'm teaching."

"Y-Yes Sensei," Ulquor said. Now it was Anna's turn to laugh, if reservedly.

"Now pay attention to this," Rasha said, pointing at a large map of the human body which she had just procured. "See how the chakra follows the pressure points, eventually coiling at the center? When these are closed off, blackout and possible death occurs. Certain Eastern clans, such as the Fire Country's Hyuuga clan are capable of both viewing these chakra points and closing them off."

Ulquorr nodded, the name somehow familiar. The lesson continued on into the night, until Rasha dismissed them both.

Ulquorr followed Anna outside.

"I had a fun time studying with you," Anna said brightly. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other now, so why now be friends?" She stuck out her hand, which Ulquorr happily shook in agreement.

"Of course," Ulquorr said.

"Well then," Anna said, "I have to go now. I'll see you later!"

"See you!" Ulquorr walked back in the tent, a contented expression on his face. "Thanks, Rasha."

"Oh? Whatever do you mean?" Rasha feigned ignorance. "All I see are two pupils benefitting from studying with each other." She gave him a wink. "I told you she was a nice girl."

Ulquorr nodded happily, picking up the scroll he delivered earlier. "What's so dangerous about the Gates?"

"There are eight Gates in total," Rasha said. "Each more powerful and taxing than the last. The final gate, the Gate of Death, kills the user after opening it. The exhaustion of chakra is simply too much."

"Oh." Ulquorr said. "Don't worry, Rasha. I'll never go that far."

"See to it that you don't,' Rasha said. "Otherwise I'll come get you from the afterlife to teach you a lesson about leaving your elders behind!"

Ulquorr laughed. "That sounds just like something you would do," he said.

"See to it that you don't." Rasha sniffed. "Now come with me. I have something to show you."

Rasha led Ulquorr outside, where stars glittered above in innumerable quantity.

"The day you came to us," Rasha said. "I knew you were special. The spirits watched over you. The stars aligned themselves, telling of great danger and great promise. I believe it was you they spoke of."

"Me? What's so special about me?"

"Just you wait," Rasha said. "In time, I'm sure the clan, perhaps even all of the country, will come to know your name. Wherever you born, I am sure they miss you. You are a child destined for greatness, Ulquorr. I can feel it."

Rasha smiled at Ulquorr. "Now enough serious talk. Let's get some sleep, shall we?"

That night, when Ulquorr dreamed, he dreamed of a blood red moon, those with crimson eyes scattering before it, a man crouched upon a pole.

_**Uchiha… **_


End file.
